The Chicago Bears trade up into the first round in this first draft trade
In this first trade scenario, the Chicago Bears decide to trade up into the first round. Some of you have already decided to hate this trade without even knowing who is involved. However, you have to understand that at times, it’s okay to move up to get a player who deserves to be coveted because you know they will make an immediate impact to the team plus you project their future success.
If Ryan Poles is watching a player who he believes to be worth moving up for start to fall in the draft, Bears fans should not be upset if he moves up to draft him. Ryan Poles should not be judged unfairly for Ryan Pace’s decisions. Many fans hate when Ryan Pace traded up, but remember, this team would be looking for a quarterback had Pace not moved up for Justin Fields. Trading up for Teven Jenkins was also the right decision in my opinion. Trading up doesn’t automatically equal bad and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Here is the trade:
As you can see, the Chicago Bears made a trade with the Buffalo Bills to move up from 39 to 25. In order to make this move, Ryan Poles had to send their second-round (No. 39) and third-round picks (No. 71). In exchange, Ryan Poles was able to bring back a fifth-rounder (No. 168).
The move-up was to select offensive tackle, Trevor Penning. Originally, I was going to go with Tyler Linderbaum here. I have seen him mocked anywhere from the mid-first round all the way to the top of the second. Personally, he’s a first-round graded center, but when I look at the Chicago Bears roster, Lucas Patrick seems very suitable at center and offensive tackle is a bigger need. Seeing Trevor Penning fall to 25 was too enticing to go ignored.
Penning is a mauler and would be an upgrade over Larry Borom at left tackle. This allows Borom to be the swing tackle and Teven Jenkins to be the right tackle. I see this as an instant upgrade and a better-looking offensive line than just adding Tyler Linderbaum. That said, Linderbaum would be a great addition too.
Penning is not scheme dependent in my opinion. He might fit in better in a power running scheme, but he has the fluidity and athleticism to play in a zone running scheme. His explosion off the ball is fantastic and he uses his hands well. He needs to work on fighting countermoves, but this isn’t a big enough concern in my opinion. He plays with a nasty streak and would fit in with what Ryan Poles is looking for mentally from his offensive linemen.
Included in this deal was a fifth-round pick. With the 168th-overall pick, the Chicago Bears also select defensive tackle, Haskell Garrett. Garrett is a former four-star recruit out of Ohio State. He has the makings of a 3-technique and would fit in well with Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams’ system. He’d fill in as a rotational player to start but could work his way into a starting position after a year or two of development.